vickery park

We went to see Descender at Vickery Park. Lead guitarist was playing my dream guitar. There was no cover instead each person brought unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Good music for a good cause. That's something I can get behind.

Happy Holidays everyone, this girl is heading home in few days, for a few weeks, so peace out!

redefine

At the Curtain Club before the set,e the this guy and his friends are asking me to compare Redefine's sound to a band they'd know. I say they rock, and they're hard to describe. He's saying his favorite concert of all time was System of Down, "Are they like them?" No. "Creed?" No, we saw Creed, and they suck. "Deftones?" I love the Deftones, but no. Mmm, maybe Metallica? They are hard to place. Then he talks about how he likes all kinds of music including James Blunt, which I laugh about. I did admit that I saw N'Sync during their No Strings Attached tour so now you can laugh at me. Then he talks about Sade and I say that's seduction music like Barry White and Let's Get It On.

Redefine is kind of like Iron Maiden. I told them, but none of them know Iron Maiden. I say, Run to the Hills? They look at me all puzzled. Then the curtains close, the lights go out, and I rush to the front of the stage.

afterwards I ask guy and friends to tell me who they think Redefine sounded like. They said they liked them, but they couldn't decide who they sounded like. That I was good, but it wasn't Iron Maiden. (I thought they didn't know Iron Maiden! wtf?) We took off, and listened to Iron Maiden aall the way home. I still stand by what I said. What do you think?

in denton

We'd planned to see Trebuchet last weekend, but didn't make it. This weekend we caught the last song of some wannabe Motley Crue/New York Dolls band. I was unimpressed, but the girls in front weren't. Trebuchet had an artist creating art while they performed, here's his link.http://vandanieldesigns.com/

I realize it wasn't my favorite performance of Trebuchet, but I love watching their guitar player. I stand there trying to identify all the stuff he's doing, while his fingers move all over the fretboard, wishing I could play like that.

lakewood

On the tv they're playing some Rolling Stones concert on Vh-1. Funny since, we were just listening to the Stones in the car. We went Lakewood to see Orange Crush Peel. A band that online, reminded me of Sunny Day Real Estate. I swear their lead singer looks like Bret from Flight of the Conchords.

I see two guys walk in wearing skull caps, and sit down. I start laughing cause I suddenly think of Jay and Silent Bob. I mention this to the people, at the next table, one guy says, "That's who we were for Halloween."
Later J has an ephiphany the guys I laughed at must be the next band cause why else would five guys sit together. I say I knew the one standing was a musician long before that. I could tell by the way he watched me watching the guys play onstage. When I see him pull out the same guitar I wanted at the guitar show I say, this is gonna be good. Then he warms up with Hendrix. I was right.The name of the band is Jokersdeck. Their lyrics were completely original with a sense of humor. They have this dynamic energy together with blending guitars and high voices like Queen or The Darkness. Their songs were interesting and did not run together or sound the same. I heard traces of The Beatles and something else I couldn't identify at the time. After the set I said, great show, you guys were worth every penny! We got home after 2:30 AM. The next day on Myspace I realized the sound I loved, but could not identity was traces of Jimmy Eat World. Do not mistake what I am saying. Jokersdeck is not a rip off band. Their stuff is their own, but their influences seem to be the foundation of the music that I love!

literature

...She stared at every night, but it was difficult to tell whether there were white flowers on the tree's branches or dozens of doves, or if perhaps stars had fallen from the sky, only to be caught in a net of leaves...

...The sky was the color Elv liked best-a tender dark blue, falling to earth like ashes...

...She tried on all her ama's old clothes-black satin suits, white lace blouses, high heels, black cashmere sweaters with crystal buttons, Chanel jackets that fitted her perfectly...

...On their way they sang Beatles songs, their mother's favorites. They sang "Imagine" as high as their voices would go, then exploded into giggles...

...She quickly painted her sisters in shades of yellow, wheat, and tangerine...

...She'd been so young and stupid and so unlucky and lucky all at the same time...

..."She lives on the other side of the ocean..." "...where they speak a different language and the light is a different color every day."...

...The nature of love had totally escaped her until now. She had thought that if you lost it, you could never get it back, like a stone down a well. But it was like the water at the bottom of the well, there when you can't even see it, shifting in the dark...- The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

...got out my kaleidoscope. I lay on my back and looked through it all the fractured beauty. I turned the wheel slowly. Each thing I saw was so lovely I wanted to keep it, but then I would turn the wheel and there, more beauty, it would never stop...

..."I know it's trite, but isn't it really true that life is so beautiful because it's so fleeting and fragile?"...-Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

...the circus had left town... only the saw dust and peanut shells reminded us of what used to be...

...He stared out the window for a moment, looking at the desert sunset with the mountains in the distance and the clouds all pink and gold across the sky...-Miss O'Dell by Chris O'Dell

december

they're calling me by name

we're on the playground

it's recess

swings, tether balls, monkey bars, & jungle gym

snow is falling

i look up to the sky

snow

it feels like a privilege

that i can be there to witness

it falls in my upturned hands

it's cold in my open mouth

like dancing in the rain

i'm overjoyed

getting excited about something i used to hate

they go on playing

continue like it's nothing

i see inches of snow piled beneath their feet

they go on their business

snow crunching below

to the rhythm of the children's jumping and chanting

to the beat of a jump rope rhyme

in the bathroom after the shower

towel wrapped

talking or waiting for a message

there were pieces of frayed white towel lint

scattered on the floor like snowflakes

packing them into a pseudo snowball

before throwing them all away

she imagines the dark, navy, night

inky blue, purple amethyst, magenta, slate grey, all the colors in the mountains

in the distance, she sees them, in the distance, right there. in front of her

white snowflakes falling, sparkling, reflecting, colors of rainbow

remember in the morning? the untouched fallen snow. remember the crisp, chill air?

accessories

All those coats, kept in the closet. When she's out shopping, she still wants to buy more. But now she doesn't need them. She avoids the temptation. All those scarves, left hanging. Layers and layers wrapped around you. Gloves in every color, a pair for each coat. All those hats, in styles and shapes. She remembers salt stained shoes and pants. Now all she wears is a jean or leather jacket. Sleeves are starting to bald from use. It's lasted a long time. That suede leather jacket.

tools

She bought some colored pens. All the colors to fit every mood. Write in the mood you choose. Purple is supposed to be artistic. But when she tries to draw. The image never matches what she sees in her mind. The mood or feeling she is trying to capture. When she paints she is happy. Time flies, swirls of colors, feelings. Mostly for some reason she almost always ends up painting with her hands and fingers like a kindergartner. They went to the store. They bought spatulas of all shapes and sizes. Different mark making tools, including a pizza cutter. It's just another way to paint the lines.

Look!

He said, "There's a squirrel on our roof! Climb on the couch. Do you see it?"

Yes, I do. Grab the camera, so I can take a picture.

I think of all those squirrel songs I used to sing with the children, but that was mostly in September. Last week we would have been singing songs about turkeys. That was a lifetime ago.

flicks

I recently watched this movie, and absolutely loved it! I laughed through the whole thing. It was funny in the way life is kinda way. It was also sad with moments of serious heart felt tugging. While I'm at it, here's another great flick with Zooey Deschanel from the same year called Flakes. I also threw a photo of her two member band She and He.
Not to forget another great movie is in. One of the best movies about bands all time, Almost Famous.

thanksgiving 2009

I think this building near the truck is a residential jail, guys hanging outside, fenced in, barbed wire on top. I wonder how they feel? He says, "Being trapped there?"

I follow him as we ride along. He says, "Want me to capture a turtle?" No, I don't want anything to be captured. Look at the purple flowers they made to say Go Frogs. He said, "I think it's purple paint." Well my idea is better.

There's a tree I want to paint. There's a couple in love by the water, a poem in memory of, and benches with in honor of. There is one that says a name, 1979-2001 He lived all the days of his life. Who wouldn't want that said about them?

A family is looking at a statue. Is it Mark Twain? I get off my bike, and look at the book held in the statue's hand. Yep, it's titled Huckleberry Finn, and I point to the title. As I ride away. The father shows his son the title, explaining in Spanish.

I collect leaves for stencil shapes. I throw some his way. I see the hill. He knows what I'm going to do next.

There's a pair of dirty socks someone left behind, maybe to wade in the water. Why does the water look so pretty from a distance? It looks blue- green far away, then up close it's muddy dirt brown. I balance on a tree branch like a see saw.

I sing my favorite bike riding song from The Wizard of Oz (when the Wicked Witch whizzes by on her bike) duh, data, data, duh.. We hear the ice cream man ring his bell, as he pushes his cart. He is also a locksmith based on the window signs on his van. What else is he selling?

See the bear with one eye bigger than the other? What do you think of the Jackson Pollack inspired graffiti? How about the painted Texas trees with halos on them?

Back at the truck, I bet those guys get mashed potatoes and turkey today. I look through the fence seeing men laughing and calling to each other. Hip hop music is playing. I guess jail is bearable. There's another truck across the way. This one has Metallica, Lamb of God, and Disturbed stickers on the back window.

On the way home, Let's get nachos and a slurpee from 7-Eleven! I hear a baby behind the counter. The cashier recorded his baby's voice, and it's his ring tone. The girl cashier says to the customer, "You gonna give it to me?" She's talking to the customer about his case of Heinken, but I bust out laughing anyway.

"Have a good day and a Happy Thanksgiving!"

salsa dancing

For W's birthday she wanted to go salsa dancing and we were invited. In our booth was W, ET, C, I, R, J, me and there were others but either I don't remember or never got their names. The food was weird, but J likes to try new things so we did. Ok so salsa dancing was sorta fun. I didn't hate it. I was exhausted, and didn't have much stamina though. Personally I like to get down with some old school Motown, 70's disco, funkadelic stuff! However, I still remain a rock chick!

boiler room

we went to see a band that requested friends on myspace, but we didn't like them. they have been deleted. we left after their 2nd song.

the night was definitely not wasted because we discovered the band redefine. with their fusion of guitars i could barely tell who was leading and who was rhythm. they were so on!

guy who knew all the lyrics, let me front row, in center. he thought it was great fun to touch the guitarist's thigh while his eyes were closed, during his solo . i was certain he thought i did it cause he was standing directly in front of me, but that would be a NO! he was playing the guitar i wanted at the guitar show. i've seen 3 local bands now play that same guitar, in that same color.

it must be another dfw texas thing. what's up with musicians wearing boy scout shirts on stage? but what do i care? i was too busy banging my head!